Ireland's greatest treasures are not made of gold or jewels, but they are very precious manuscripts and books, dating back to the middle ages.

In monasteries monks produced manuscripts writing and copying them in both Latin and early Irish. These ancient books, carrying with them the true story of Ireland, have endured despite wars, desecration of monasteries, invasions and suppression of the Irish language and culture.

The monks of Ireland recorded both poetry and mythological tales. They studied and grouped the stories into cycles, based on the contents and themes: the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the the Cycle of Kings.

Here there are some of these stories closely related to County Mayo:

▪ The Children of Lir

▪ Inishglora Island

▪ The Battle of Moytura

▪ The Mythical Gates

▪ Táin Bó Flidhais

▪ The Friars of Urlur